Phonological Deficits and the Development of Word Recognition Skills in Developmental Dyslexia

Abstract

In the present chapter we consider the development of word recognition skills in dyslexic children. Our particular focus is on the way in which phonological deficits impede the development of these skills. The data presented are drawn from a single case of a dyslexic boy, JM, whom we have studied longitudinally for some seven years. We will first consider current theories of the development of visual word recognition skills and their impairment in dyslexic children. We then go on to outline the nature of the phonological deficits seen in JM and present data bearing on how, in the face of these severe phonological deficits, he has managed to learn to read. We then present evidence indicating that JM possesses reasonably efficient recognition mechanisms for words in his sight vocabulary. We conclude by considering the implications of our studies for theories of reading development with a particular focus on the promise of connectionist models.